1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to platforms or stages for positioning show or display effects or payloads such as show lights and nozzles for discharging fluid for a water display or fountain, and, more particularly, to a fluid effects platform or stage that is adapted for accurately discharging or dispersing water, flammable fluids, and/or other fluids and the platform or stage may utilize an output manifold that is pivotally mounted to allow positioning in numerous positions.
2. Relevant Background
There is a growing demand for large shows or displays that can be used to entertain audiences and to attract people to particular buildings or locations. Water displays and fountains are often used to create large and breathtaking shows with water and lights that are often accompanied by music being used in a variety of ways to create a crowd-pleasing effect. The water displays are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complicated in design and operation with most water displays including a body of water such as a pool or lake and numerous remotely-controlled nozzles and/or water display devices. The water display devices are often computer controlled to spray or disperse water in a timed or synchronized pattern. Presently-available water display systems have produced useful water displays and shows, but there have been many barriers toward their more widespread adoption and use.
Existing water display devices are typically submerged in a body of water and may be fixed in place or provided on a movable platform. The movable platform is typically raised and lowered by other submerged components to bring the nozzle or water outlet above the surface of the water during the show, and the movable platform is often quite large such as a 5 to 10 foot square platform that contains the nozzle and lighting and other portions of the water display device. Since the platform and device are large, they are often heavy and require relatively bulky equipment to raise and lower in the water.
Another problem facing water display designers is how to provide a moving head or nozzle system that can articulate to numerous positions such as up to 110 degrees in any direction. Such a range of nozzle or water outlet positions is desirable for providing displays and shows with greater variety and allows designers to play with the water to create different looks utilizing fewer fountains or water display devices (and, hence, fewer platforms that have to raised and lowered in the water). Existing devices typically use a single hose to provide water to a nozzle that is mounted on a platform with or without lights. The platform is generally designed to move the nozzle using two assemblies that can be rotated about two separate, perpendicular axes (e.g., rotate about an X-axis and a Y-axis). Such systems allow the direction of the nozzle to be controlled, but these assemblies are generally large and heavy.
Another problem with existing water display systems is alignment of the outlet or nozzle prior to beginning a show or display sequence. For the designed effect to work, it is generally preferably for the nozzle to be returned to a home position such as vertical or with the nozzle pointing upwards. With existing fountains and water displays, the alignment process is very labor intensive and inaccurate as workers generally enter the pond or body of water and try to set the nozzle to a home position by hand. Often, this simply involves “eyeballing” the position of the nozzle to reset it into a desired position while standing in water on a platform or in a boat. Such aligning is then repeated periodically as the equipment may tend to become unaligned with use in shows.
Hence, there remains a need for water or fluid display systems that allow a nozzle or other outlet to be articulated such as up to 110 degrees in an arc. Preferably, such systems would significantly reduce the overall dimensions or size of the outlet positioning equipment and lower the load that needs to be raised and lowered in the water (e.g., to 250 pounds or the like). Additionally, it would be desirable for the fluid display system to include an improved mechanism for aligning the outlet or nozzle or placing it in a home or known position.